BuaNews

By Bathandwa Mbola

Pretoria -The Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Officer Bearers has recommended an increase of 11 percent in remuneration levels for public office bearers.

This increase is effective form the 1 April 2008. This is an adjustment of the 7.5 percent which was recommended by the commission in April.

The commission, headed by Judge Dikgang Moseneke, is an independent body created in terms of the Constitution tasked with making recommendations to the President regarding the salaries, benefits and allowances of office bearers. The recommendations will be published in the Government Gazette this afternoon.

The recommendations are yet to be approved by the President and Parliament.

Judge Moseneke said the salary adjustments had been based on the link between labour costs and inflation.

“Circumstances since April 2008 have changed and the soaring cost of oil prices, shortage of food and the Reserve Bank increases of interest rates impacted on prior estimates calculated.”

The increase was also based in line with annual and month-on-month CPIX figures. For 2008 this was 10.9% for May; 11.6% for June and 13% for July.

The recommendations mean that the country’s President’s total salary package will increase to R2 107 224 a year, while the deputy president’s package will be adjusted to R1 896 546.

The reconfigured adjustments will also bring equity to the three levels of government: the executive, parliament and the judiciary.

Now, the deputy president, speaker of parliament and the chief justice will be on the same salary level.

Cabinet ministers will see an increase to R1 612 053 and their deputies to R1 327 560 a year.

The leader of the opposition will get R1 043 067 and ordinary Members of Parliament will receive R714 618 a year.

Premiers in the nine provinces will receive R1 517 259, MECs R1 327,560, and Members of Provincial Legislature R691 641 a year.

The commission recommended a total salary package of R840 159 a year for mayors, while their deputies will earn R680 985.

Full time traditional leaders can expect remuneration ranging from between R786 080 for kings to R144 189 for senior traditional leaders.

The Chief Justice will now get a package of R1 896 546 a year; R1 706 847 for the Deputy Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court of Appeal, while Constitutional Court and Supreme Court of Appeal Judges will get R1 517 259.

It recommended that the High Court Judge President is to receive R1 422 465 a year, their deputies R1327 560, and High Court Judges R1 232 766.

A special grade Chief Magistrate, Regional Court President, and Divorce Court President will get R853 479 a year, while a Regional Magistrate, Chief Magistrate and Divorce Court Presiding Officer R758 574.

The recommendation for Senior Magistrates is R625 818 a year and for Magistrates R568 986.

Moreover, the Commission further recommended that the allowance provided in section 8(1)(d) of the income tax act, for public office bearers be increased from R40 000 per annum to R120 000 per annum.

This is in relation to every Member of Parliament and Member of a Provincial Legislature.

“We hope that the officials will take advantage of this tax break and do more work in their constituencies.” said Judge Moseneke.

Explaining the roles and decisions of the President and the Parliament in terms of the recommendations, Judge Moseneke said the President determines the actual remuneration of public office bearers at the national level.

These, he said, include Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Members of Parliament as well as those in the various structures of traditional leadership.

“The President then sets the upper limits of the actual remuneration of the office bearers at the provincial level.

“The Provincial and Local Government Minister sets the upper limits for those at the local level while the actual remuneration of the President and the Judicial office bearers are determined by a Parliamentary resolution,” outlined Judge Moseneke.

According to commission the Ministers of Finance, Justice and Constitutional Development and the Chief Justice have supported the proposal of the Commission. - BuaNews